Another brick in the wall

On the Radar — Sometimes a book arrives that’s so big the postman needs to knock on the door because it won’t fit in the letterbox. The Border by Don Winslow is a good example. It’s the kind of book we normally refer to as a brick, which is fitting really, considering building a wall is such a big topic of conversation in American politics right now. But Winslow’s new novel is big metaphorically as well, and it leads this week’s titles. The rest are all thrillers with lots of action involving gangland widows, serial killers, CIA and Special Forces men, and more…

The Border by Don Winslow

Oh, this book is so timely, what with Donald Trump’s huge focus on building a barrier between the United States and Mexico, and we reckon Don Winslow’s book is going to reflect something of the weird, conflicted reality that is American society at the moment. After The Power of the Dog and The Cartel, DEA man Art Keller is back in a new epic in which the US is being flooded with illegal heroin – and he’s still obsessed with the cartel boss Adán Barrera. But the obstacle in Keller’s way might not be dealers, traffickers or kingpins in Mexico because it seems that the administration in Washington has ties to the cartels, and no matter what he does, he’s going to get stymied. It’s on sale 28 February. Watch for our review.Pre-order now on Amazon

Widows’ Revenge by Lynda La Plante

Back in the 1980s, before DI Tennison was even a twinkle in Lynda La Plante’s eye, she made a TV series called Widows. It was picked up last year and made into a contemporary movie by director Steve McQueen and La Plante wrote Widows the book to accompany it. Now she’s continuing the story of Dolly Reynolds and her crew of gangland widows. Their heist is complete but now they have to keep hold of the money because, as Dolly discovers, her husband Harry isn’t dead after all and wants not just the loot but revenge. Ask yourself, if you were Dolly, what would you do? Kill, or be killed? Out 21 February.Pre-order now on Amazon

The Auctioneer by DJ Williams

An international thriller where the action see saws between glitzy LA and the war-torn Middle East, The Auctioneer opens in dramatic fashion with a plane crash in the Mojave Desert. The pilot of the doomed plane was antiques auction-house owner and former presidential candidate Michael Hardeman, and his son Chase is left to pick up the pieces of a business that had already attracted the attention of the federal authorities. Chase isn’t exactly whiter than white either, and soon his past sins come back to haunt him… Out 25 February.Pre-order now on Amazon

Secrets of the Dead by Murray Bailey

A serial killer thriller with an ancient Egyptian twist? Sounds intriguing! A body dump is discovered in Atlanta, Georgia, the work of a serial killer soon dubbed The Surgeon. FBI Special Agent Charlie Rebb is on his trail but then the killings stop. Meanwhile, in Cairo egyptologist Alex MacLure is contacted by a student who thinks he’s uncovered a conspiracy involving the pyramids. When the student is murdered the question becomes: has The Surgeon just resurfaced? If so, Rebb and MacLure have their work cut out to stop him. Out now for Kindle and on 25 February as a paperback.Buy now on Amazon

Red Strike by Chris Ryan

Former SAS corporal Chris Ryan is back with the latest in the Strike Back series, featuring more of his trademark action and out on 21 February. Six years ago, Russian intelligence officer Nikolai Volkov left his homeland in a hurry, accused of selling secrets to MI6. Now he’s on the run after a botched attempt on his life. Meanwhile former Special Forces soldier John Porter and John Bald are called upon by MI6 for a highly sensitive mission that could bring the West to its knees.Pre-order now on Amazon

Mission Critical by Mark Greaney

Mark Greaney has co-authored books with Tom Clancy, but the Grey Man series is all his own and it features CIA agent Court Gentry. In his eighth outing, Gentry is on a CIA transport which is also carrying a hooded suspect to the UK. However, on arrival the plane’s entourage is attacked and the hooded man is captured. Gentry is assigned to track down the force and recapture the hooded man, who might just be the deadly assassin Gentry has been hunting all these years. It’s all action and it’s out on 19 February.Pre-order now on Amazon